When It Comes To The Arabs, OPPOSING Construction Is An Obstacle To Peace

I think that rule that applies here is pretty straightforward.

• When Israel builds to account for natural growth: it's against international law and an obstacle to Middle East peace.
• When the Arabs do it: it's necessary for the creation of a state--and any opposition is nothing less than an obstacle to Middle East peace.

And here are two practical examples:

The Palestinian Authority is hoping to build a sparkling new four-square-kilometer international airport in Jericho, despite the fact that the site is categorized as Area C – under total Israeli control. A groundbreaking ceremony for a new industrial park -- unauthorized -- was held Monday as well.

Plans for the airport facility, which includes one terminal and six gates for boarding, a large parking lot and international facilities, were submitted to Israel along with a request for a building permit, according to the Hebrew-language Ma’ariv newspaper.

Jericho, currently administered by the PA, is located in the Jordan Valley just north of the Dead Sea. This week residents celebrated its 10,000 anniversary, but little mention was made of its beautiful ancient synagogues that have been badly damaged by Arab vandals.

That is not the only area where illegal Arab construction is being done.

Earlier this week, PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad launched a project to build a new industrial park in the area, controlled by Israel, even though no building permits were secured from Jerusalem for the construction. Mohammed Thekri, a PA engineer involved in the project told Laub, “If we do nothing, until we get approval from the Israelis, it maybe will take another 10 years,” so the PA simply went ahead without the authorizations.

The article concludes with a quote by Fayyad, "Israel’s capricious control regime has limited very much the scope for development in the very important part of our country"--

What could be more capricious than requiring permits?
And after all, what problem could Israel possibly have with Fatah having their own airport?

If the Arabs cannot even bother with permits, what can one expect when it comes to keeping a treaty?

Technorati Tag: West Bank.